After the exams, there is a small tournament called the "inter-school tournament."
It consists of various combat rounds so that students who have mobile knights can demonstrate their strength in simulated combats for their future on the battlefield.
I was outside the venue wearing a kind of bodysuit that fit my body; it was black like my hair but with several red lines at the joints. I had a black jacket of the same type as my clothes.
The designated stage was a small coliseum, with a maximum capacity of a thousand people. There is an entrance large enough for a marching band to enter and exit without problems.
I was waiting for a certain item that should have arrived hours ago, but it hadn't shown up.
"Ngh... You're really taking your time, you know?"
I was saying to Ixion, who was beside me.
"I told you it would be delayed due to traffic. Do you think something that large will arrive immediately just because you say so? Are you stupid, perhaps, Master?"
The floating bastard beside me responded rudely, so I flicked it with my fingers, sending it flying away from the spot.
It was then that I heard footsteps and turned around. I got scared for a moment, thinking it was Klein coming to harass me before the duel, but it wasn't. Those who came were...
"Rudel-san, why are you out here?"
"Certainly. You should be inside in the participants' waiting room. Why aren't you there?"
... Irisdina and Alicelotte.
I said the first thing that came to my mind.
"Why are you two together?"
Upon hearing my question, the sweet Irisdina, putting her hands in a fighting pose, responded.
"That's because I heard what had happened to Alicelotte-san and felt very bad seeing her locked in her room all this time!! I asked if it was okay for me to stay by her side at a time like this, and she said yes!!"
"I see. That seems like a kind gesture on your part."
As expected of the lovely Irisdina, her heart is so big that it makes anyone want to be with her. I felt like a fuel tank that was filled just by seeing her smile.
"More importantly, Bradford. You know the combat order, don't you?"
Alicelotte asked me a question, worried in case I didn't have knowledge of the participants. I felt very offended, but it was true I had forgotten. I responded, "Of course I do."
I took a sheet from my pocket and reviewed the participants. We were nine in total. Apparently, when I signed up, several participants dropped out because they were afraid of Klein.
Starting from the first match, which was of no importance to me, the same could be said for the second encounter. But if I have to say something, it's that the first encounter has something strange, and that is participant number 1.
"No matter how many times I see it, who could have been the idiot who put the name 'Masked Knight'?"
That came from the bottom of my heart, and they heard it.
Alicelotte responded to me readily.
"There is no violation of the rules that a participant cannot hide their identity and that of their armed unit. But... it certainly is suspicious and very strange."
Putting that oddity aside, I concentrated on the third duel, the one that interested me. There was a student I didn't care about, but the one facing him, I did. That was Klein.
Finally, the fourth round was left with a triple battle. First, it would be a 1 vs 1, then the winner would face the next participant before continuing to the semifinals.
After finishing verifying the participants, I put the list back in my pocket.
It seemed the marching band had already finished their presentation and would soon exit. The girls said a few words to me before going to their seats.
The first was Irisdina.
"Umm... Rudel-san. Do your best!!"
Her encouragement made my full tank overflow with happiness.
Alicelotte, before speaking, bit her lips while her arms were gripping tightly beneath her immense mountains.
"Bradford... I'm sorry. The only thing I can do for you is pray."
She said that while looking at the ground; her tone sounded very anguished and helpless.
I'm not one to give encouragement, but at a time like this...
"There's no need to worry because I will win. I just have to defeat the two I'm up against and then kick Klein's butt."
"That is also part of the problem!"
My brave response was immediately crushed by her serious tone.
"Don't you know who your opponents are besides Klein?!"
I gave a quick look to Irisdina for help, but she didn't notice. Even so, her questioning face was very cute. (Thank you for existing, truly, thank you.)
"They are the sons of two great stars of our country's military, and they are the closest friends of His Highness the prince!"
I see.
That's why when I checked the underground betting houses, there were names saying in which round or who would defeat me before Klein.
But even so...
"I don't care. Even if it's the prince I face, I'll crush him. I swore I would destroy my enemies!"
I said in an overconfident tone to a surprised Alicelotte.
"You... are an idiot!! Do you have a serious problem in your head? How can you say that? Ahh, my head is spinning. Irisdina, let's go now; this guy only stresses me out more."
Immediately, Alicelotte turned halfway and left, pressing her hand to her forehead and with the other grabbing Irisdina.
I felt very jealous at how those two looked.
They reached a back door where they entered and were no longer visible.
Then Ixion, who was watching hidden, approached me from behind. I was very scared to hear its annoying electronic voice.
"Master."
"Wahh!! Damn it, don't scare me like that!!"
"I apologize for interrupting your bizarre fantasies, but I inform you that the competition will begin soon, and the participants are already in the arena taking the oath."
"I don't care. In the end, I only have one goal, and then I'll withdraw. More importantly, that boy hasn't arrived yet."
I spoke very annoyed to Ixion while the marching band was leaving, covering the sun from my position.
"I told you it won't be long now. There was a problem, but it won't take much longer to arrive."
I looked annoyed at this guy after he said that so calmly. (Doesn't he understand that if I don't have a mobile knight, I'll not only be in trouble but also disqualified?)
"Hurry up." I said, very annoyed.
◇◇◇
Erselica was among the spectators and only saw eight figures in the arena; there were supposed to be nine, but it was obvious who wasn't there.
Her gaze concentrated on only one person, someone wearing a strange silver mask in the shape of a helmet.
She knew who it was, but she only got more excited thinking about it.
At the moment the first duel started, she observed two figures looking for their seats at the other end of the coliseum. They were Irisdina and Alicelotte.
Erselica made a grimace just seeing the event happen exactly as it did.
(Alicelotte used Irisdina as a servant after an event where she had no choice but to become her slave.)
Between her teeth, Erselica said, "Soon you will meet your end, hussy."
◇
Inside a fairly spacious room were the participants. I had to arrive at the location so the referee wouldn't disqualify me.
I felt uncomfortable thinking Klein might harass me inside, but he didn't seem to be here. I looked around at the participants. The first duel was already being celebrated, so the participants of the second duel were exercising to go out to combat. I felt a little envious of them.
Among the others, I only saw two silhouettes that caught my attention: one tall with red hair and the other with green hair. Ixion was spying on them, and I listened to their conversation in case they talked about any strategy.
(It seems like something a coward and a cheater would do, but I didn't care. Life isn't fair, so I wasn't going to let something like that defeat me prematurely.)
Then...
"I feel a little bad for His Highness. He wanted to participate but couldn't by order of His Majesty."
"Even if that's the case, an order from the King is absolute."
The red-haired boy responded to the green-haired one.
"Even if he doesn't participate, he can be among the people in the crowd. We should give our best performance."
The words of the red-haired boy, like his uniform of the same color, said encouraging words, but...
"The guy I face before facing you seems to be a simpleton."
(Huh? What the hell did he say?!)
"Certainly, it seems so. I checked his background, and he seems to be a country baron. I'm surprised that even a simple baron had an armed unit to participate, but it seems to be an unknown model. It must be something second-hand."
The red-haired boy and the green-haired one kept talking badly about me.
"What's more important is that I heard he is representing Alicelotte because she challenged Klein to a duel."
"Is that so? I heard he started crying because that woman humiliated him in front of everyone, and that baron got into their argument and challenged him too."
Thanks to my position without turning, I could see with my eye how both of them were clearly observing me.
I felt so annoyed—no, I was truly pissed off. The veins swelled on my forehead.
(What the hell!!)
A bunch of dark feelings overflowed from my heart upon hearing what these two were saying.
(Who was the shit who dared to tell such a lie!! That never happened!! I'll beat up the damn person or persons who said those lies!!)
My heart was filling with those feelings when Ixion whispered to me.
"Master, it seems that boy has arrived."
Upon hearing that, I went out muttering small words. "I'll crush you too."
When I closed the door, it seemed the first encounter had ended.
◇◇◇
I was walking through a long corridor to get outside the coliseum when my eyes met someone who was eating something like a hamburger with black soda.
That person noticed me and spoke.
"Hey, trash. It's still a long time until our encounter, so you'd better not think of escaping, or else..."
"You shouldn't say anything. I won't run away and will face you."
With a smile that showed his teeth dirty with food, he responded to me.
"I hope so. Otherwise, I wouldn't bother to make myself participate in something as ridiculous as this."
After finishing his sentence, he continued on while eating.
I stayed looking at him. Before turning, I felt someone throw a small stone at the back of my neck.
"Ouch. Who did that?!"
I called forward to whoever might have done it, but no one responded. The pain had gone, so I thought maybe it was my imagination.
I continued walking to reach the exit of the place.
◇◇◇
As Rudel walked, he didn't notice that something small and black was clinging to a side of the high ceiling. It had a large stinger that grew smaller as the seconds passed.
The creature that looked like a wasp observed a black dot on the back of Rudel's neck; it emitted a dark aura, and several small veins slowly stretched toward his head.
The creature vanished after having an expression that said "mission accomplished."
◇
The second fight ended in an unexpected way. It seems the two participants gave their best to the point that their armed units were mutually destroyed.
This was undoubtedly amazing. I curse myself for not having gone to see it.
The third fight would soon begin, so I was preparing, but there was a problem.
"Hey, Ixion..."
"Yes, Master?"
"Don't look at me with that questioning face!! I want to know what the hell this black color is!!"
My face had an expression of discomfort because my armed unit had a different color from what I had known before.
"Umm, is that so? I thought you would like it since I researched and found that jet black is very feared."
"Don't mock me, damn it! You did it on purpose, didn't you?! I know you did it on purpose!! Its old white color was beautiful!"
"I'm very sorry, Master, but now is not the time for your childish whining."
"Huh?!" I exclaimed that after hearing it.
"It seems Klein finished his match. It was very fast how he defeated him, or rather, the opponent made it very easy since he was just playing."
"I see, so it's a fix." I responded, still annoyed.
"It seems so."
"He's trash; it's normal he did that. The weird thing would be if he hadn't done anything."
"The opponent he's facing seems to have already arrived at his post."
"... Is that so? Very well... let's go there."
A large hand emerged from a giant cylinder. I climbed onto that hand, which vanished into the darkness as it returned to its original position. Then two large red lights lit up, shining intensely.
◇◇◇
The moment of truth had arrived.
Many people had gathered today not only to watch the duels; while others came to see if their bets would win.
On the ground, there was already an armed unit ready.
It was a mobile knight of a very bright red color. It had several additional pieces in the shape of armor, this being a giant suit of armor itself. Its head had something like a punk style but made of iron. Its weapon was a long axe whose blade was shaped like a 69.
With the rear hatch still open, you could see a man resting in a reclining seat.
He was annoyed.
"He's really taking his time, that guy." He murmured.
In the stands, people were equally annoyed.
Alicelotte and Irisdina talked between themselves as they observed the crowd furious about Rudel's delay.
"Alicelotte-san, Rudel-san still hasn't arrived, and it's already his turn. Could something have happened to him?" Irisdina asked in a tone of concern.
Alicelotte looked at the location where Rudel's mobile knight should be, but there was no one there.
"He... I don't think he would do something like run away, would he?"
The moment Alicelotte said those words, a dark shadow manifested in her eyes.
She thought perhaps that Rudel had fled in panic.
Her mouth slowly made a terrible grimace as she thought about it more.
"That's not true!!"
It was Irisdina who shouted at the frightened Alicelotte, who turned to look at her.
"Rudel-san is not that kind of person!! He will help you because you needed help!! Just be patient and have faith that he will come without fail!! Hmph!!"
Irisdina, with her arms in the form of clenched fists, shouted at Alicelotte, then calmed her down, saying, "Calm down, they were just my terrible thoughts."
Irisdina's energetic face returned to normal after saying that. Alicelotte looked at her and could only think of one thing.
(Having someone in whom you place your trust must be good... I wonder if all this happened because I was a pitiful woman...?)
Even if her face didn't express it, inside her heart a seed of self-suffering had already been planted.
*Kachim*
That's what Alicelotte suddenly heard.
*Kachim, Kachim*
Irisdina also heard that and tried to find the source of that sound.
*Kachim, Kachim, Kachim, Kachim*
The people in the stands also heard that mysterious sound.
All of them suddenly focused their gaze where the noise was getting louder.
Chlust stood up and from the pilot's cabin observed a shadow coming from the tunnel used by the marching band.
Upon seeing it, he made a manic smile, and the rear of the armed unit closed, and its eyes lit up.
Alicelotte and Irisdina watched with deep interest what was causing that sound.
The people from the lowest position in the stands and even Chlust himself could see it almost perfectly well.
A large body that almost entirely covered the tunnel walked slowly toward the arena. As it advanced further, the people in the higher rows could now see it.
It had a much more robust and enormous body. It was jet black, with shining red circles on the joints, knees, elbows, and shoulders. Its head was very different from the usual mobile knights.
It looked like a motorcycle helmet. It had red side lines on its cheeks and eyes that looked like visors; they were also red.
It had mysterious and possibly red veins that extended from its center throughout the body. Its chest was very large and had an intermittent red light.
Its arms were thick like logs, and its fingers were like those of an exoskeleton. Its legs were exactly the same, with the difference that its feet seemed made to tread on all types of terrain.
On its back, it had a container in the shape of an excessively large travel backpack. It was so large that it occupied almost the entire space of the tunnel, which was almost twenty-four meters.
The armed unit walking in that place seemed to measure between fourteen or fifteen meters, while the container on its back was much larger than its body.
Upon lifting its legs and stepping on the ground, it made the sound of *Kachim*.
With its red eyes, it looked frightening, but the sound it made while walking elicited laughter in the stands as it slowly approached.
"Hahaha, what the hell is that thing?"
"Mobile knights should be small and fast! That thing is so big it makes noises from how old it is!!"
"How bad is his taste to paint it black?!"
More and more hurtful voices with laughter sounded in the distance as the machine walked to its position.
Alicelotte looked with surprise and horror at Rudel's armed unit. She wondered if he really had one, and she could finally confirm that it was true.
But...
"He said he had a Lost Object under his command, but it's too big for its mobility. If it made that creaking sound, it's because its joints were very heavy, isn't that right?"
Alicelotte looked with doubtful eyes once more at Rudel's armed unit, and Irisdina opened her mouth to bewilder her even more.
"Umm, I don't understand why they say it's strange? I think it's very cute in color, and being very large makes it look stronger and more reliable."
Irisdina, with her finger in the shape of a question mark on her lips, made Alicelotte's head tilt to the side at her words.
"No!! I think here it's you who has something wrong with you!"
◇
Inside the cockpit was me, looking at the situation.
Even though it was called a cockpit, it was more like a small room. There was a huge screen that seemed to be the combination of eight high-definition televisions inside.
I covered my eyes while hearing the people's laughter.
"I told you this would happen!! No one likes this ugly color!!"
"I knew it. This is the worst. I never told you to make paint changes. Ahhh, I want to cry. No, I'm already crying. I want to hide in a pit and never see the light of day."
I was sitting in a large, comfortable chair. There was a panel where there were two holes for my arms to enter; inside them were some joysticks to be able to move the armed unit freely.
In the middle of that panel was a large hole where Ixion had entered to give orders in case the pilot became incapacitated.
Ixion looked at the silent screen.
"Ahhh, shut up already!!"
I took my hands away from my face and inserted them into the holes in the panel.
Then, to silence them, I pressed a button, and the backpack detached, falling to the floor.
It made a boom sound so large that it made the ground tremble for a few seconds, and a huge cloud of dust rose.
Now they were silent.
I walked to approach my opponent. The squeaking noise was no longer sounding because I got rid of the backpack, which weighed several tons. But the squeaking didn't come from my machine but from the objects inside the backpack.
This boy, my own mobile knight, which I had baptized as Battler.
It was a mechanical armor used centuries ago by an ancient civilization for combat.
I was surprised when I saw it for the first time; it was totally different from the armed units I saw before going on an adventure.
Ixion remained silent; I didn't pay it any mind.
"Now then, let's cause a little pain for these idiots."